Free State of Digbeth

Those of us that use Digbeth as an adjective (including me), know that there is such as thing as a Digbeth way of thinking. This is usually seen as lunacy from those on the outside, but those in the know can appreciate the gentle nuances of crazy that multiply the closer you move toward the spiritual centre of Digbeth.

Madness diviners have confirmed that centre to be The Spotted Dog.

Although our area is defined geographically, the Free State of Digbeth has no boundaries – it is a state of mind that can now be advertised by the waving of the new Digbeth flag. That’s right – Digbeth has an official flag recognised by the UK’s Chief Vexillologist, which from this month, is now included in The Flag Institute’s official flag register. Rejoice!

The Flag Institute have detailed the history of the flag on their website; we spoke to the flag’s founding father, Cornelius, for the un-sanitised true symbolism of the flag:

I always understood it as thus: The basis of the flag is that of Estonia, in homage to that nation’s brave decision to reject the over-bearing authoritarianism of the Soviet regime, and replace it with the EU/NATO axis which, as we all know, is in no way an over-bearing authoritarian regime. It has nothing to do with the time-honoured Digbeth tradition of plagiarism and laziness.

The flag is in three distinct horizontal stripes: the top band is blue and represents the sky; the middle band is black denoting the gargantuan Victorian railway viaduct that bisects our hallowed land; the final white band features woofer ripples emanating from the arches, signifying our tolerance to all things noisy (quad bikes excepted). The ripples are not, as many assume, derived from the sacred River Rea.

The flag has been used at traditional sporting events in Digbeth, such as the Digbeth O’Lympics, since time immemorial, and will be continued to be used to instil a sense of civic pride for those living in and visiting Digbeth.

The Free State of Digbeth flag is free for public to fly (not copyrighted). We will soon be celebrating the flag’s inauguration in the traditional Digbeth way with lots of noise; please keep an eye on the website for further details.

Digbeth Residents Association would like to thank Philip Tibbetts (Communities Vexillologist at The Flag Institute) for his help, guidance and support.